The Latest In Pain Research And Alternative Treatments This Month

The Latest In Pain Research And Alternative Treatments This Month

This month on Pain Doctor, we covered everything from the latest in pain research to alternative treatments (and how to afford them) to the most stressful life events (and how to handle them).

The latest pain research

One of the most exciting breakthroughs in pain research and treatment was the release of an ibuprofen patch that could be placed directly at the source of pain, providing more targeted treatment and pain management potential. As the researchers noted:

“Many commercial patches surprisingly don’t contain any pain relief agents at all, they simply soothe the body by a warming effect. Our technology now means that we can for the first time produce patches that contain effective doses of active ingredients such as ibuprofen for which no patches currently exist.”

Another breakthrough this month came from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) as they formally recognized the role of specialized pain doctors in providing a holistic approach to pain management. Richard Rosenquist, M.D., chair of the American Society of Anesthesiologists® (ASA®) committee on pain medicine and chairman of the department of pain management at the Anesthesiology Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, noted:

“Pain is one of the most challenging things to treat because its source can be elusive. That’s why it’s vital to see a physician specializing in pain medicine who can help identify the source of the pain and suggest which pain method might work best, including the more recent technical advances.”

Pain research and technology

Technology also expands the scope of what we can imagine for the future of pain research. CrowdMed is one such example. As we noted in our post on the topic:

“CrowdMed is an extensive community of people that includes doctors, medical students, and lay people willing to research and put the pieces of your medical puzzle together. This type of crowdsourced diagnostic tool may be the future of complex medical diagnosis that are the hallmark of many chronic pain conditions.”

Crowdsourced diagnoses provide more and varied options for those people who have become stuck on their hunt for a diagnosis. CrowdMed provides a forward-thinking solution for these people.

In the same way as CrowdMed provides an option for patients, so too is Google trying to create better resources for people looking for health information online. In our post on the topic, we discussed some strategies you can use for more safely and efficiently looking at health information online.

The newest pain treatments and devices

From float tanks to laser therapy to smart walkers, there are many treatments and devices being produced now that can help pain patients on their road to recovery. As we noted in our articles on these topics:

“What’s In Float Tanks And Why Is It Beneficial?“: “The idea behind float tanks is very simple. Patients don a bathing suit or other appropriate attire and then enter a pod-like, water-filled tank. The water in the tank is heated to skin temperature, around 91 degrees, so that the water is barely noticeable on the skin. This allows the patient to relax fully without the sensory stimulation of something touching their skin.”

“Smart Walkers And Alert Devices?“: “Smart walkers are a new type of traditional walker that is retrofitted with technology that helps the walker record vital information on its user. This information includes daily rhythm, walking distances, duration and speed of walking, and, importantly, any changes in hand grip strength, one of the key indicators of health in the elderly.”

“What Is MLS Laser Therapy And Does It Work?“: “Multiwave lock system (MLS) laser therapy uses two therapeutic wavelengths – 808 nanometer (anti-edemic and anti-inflammatory) and 905 nanometer (analgesic) – to reach deeper into tissues and nerves that are affected by pain and inflammation. According to Dr. Jean Santo, a pain management specialist and anesthesiologist, these synchronized wavelengths cause a metabolic reaction in the cells that stimulates healing and pain relief.”

Handling stressful life events

In our continued coverage on the effect the most stressful life events can have on mental and physical health, we ran a few blogs this month on the topic.

In all our coverage this month, we focused on providing a balanced approach to pain management, pain treatment, and pain research. Hopefully, through some of these posts, you’ve learned more about the conditions facing you.

2 Comments

christa February 2, 2018 at 1:07 am

I came to Cleveland clinic pain managment in hopes of options I haven’t tried with no success and meds with zero effectiveness and unacceptable side effects. I was very let down to find dispute my past lack of success with perscribed anti inflammatory meds and genetic testing they didn’t understand at all, I was given the same failed options more physical therapy, more injections, which are not Fda approved and cause me more pain, and ineffective meds. I was hoping for new options untried as of yet.

Very disappointed. I am not displeased with the doctor, he has been given an acceptable protocol to follow, and he has been kind, which has lacked in many other practices.